Charted: How Much Data is Stored Online?
Charted: How Much Data is Stored Online?
Digital industries are booming, and so is data generation.
Yahoo! Finance projects that the data storage industry alone could grow by nearly 18% annually, reaching $778 billion by 2030. As AI and telecommunications place increasing demands on digital infrastructure, the value and volume of data created and stored online could surge in the coming years.
For this graphic, Visual Capitalist partnered with Global X ETFs to chart online data generation over the next few years.
Data Generation at Incredible Scale
Studies show that the volume of data created in the next few years is staggering; by 2025, the volume of data housed online is forecast to be 10 times higher than in 2015:
| Year | Data Generation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16ZB | |||
| 2016 | 18ZB | |||
| 2017 | 26ZB | |||
| 2018F | 33ZB | |||
| 2019F | 41ZB | |||
| 2020F | 64ZB | |||
| 2021F | 79ZB | |||
| 2022F | 97ZB | |||
| 2023F | 120ZB | |||
| 2024F | 147ZB | |||
| 2025F | 181ZB |
While 120 zettabytes of data created in 2023 may not sound vast, it equates to around 3,800 terabytes of new data being created every second in 2023—the equivalent of 905 million songs (with a 4.2MB average file size).
How Do Data Centers Store Information?
Data centers are complex processing and storage hubs responsible for ensuring the functionality of modern software.
Most data centers have three primary operations: networking, storage, and processing.
- Networking through switches and routers allows data to flow in, out, and around the center, while advanced firewalls provide security.
- Storage, however, tends to fall into two categories: block storage, which uses unique identifiers, and cloud file storage, which uses metadata to organize information.
- Processing functions are performed by both rack and blade servers. The former requires a physical interface, which can be managed remotely.
The Importance of Data Centers
Data centers are critical in modern digital infrastructure as they process and store much of the world’s data, which grows yearly.
Are you interested in learning more about the exciting world of data centers? In part three of the Catalysts of Connectivity series, we explore the number of data centers operating today and who has the most.
Click here to learn more about the Global X Data Center & Digital Infrastructure ETF.
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